Hunger and Appetite

Created by:

3 Aug 2016 - General

Hunger is the physiological mechanism that helps to ensure survival. When you are hungry you experience hunger pangs. When your stomach is empty, its contracted muscular walls irritate nerve endings. The nerve ending signal the brain that the body‘s food storage is depleted and needs replenishing. The brain in turn relays the message “hunger,” which tells you to eat. After eating, the stomach is stretched, and nerves are no longer stimulated. You then feel satisfied. In short, hunger informs you of your physical need for food. Have you ever eaten a full meal and then walked by a bakery a short time later? Even though your physical need for food had already been satisfied, you probably found yourself feeling hungry again. Why? Your appetite comes from a desire to repeat a pleasant experience associated with food. Appetite is controlled by many factors. Social customs and social situations can affect appetite. But the most important influence on appetite are your eating habits that have been formed during childhood and adolescence and will follow throughout life. Eating pattern can be learned through education, but they are useless if not practiced at home. Parent can help their children develop good eating habits by providing a balanced diet, by making foods look appealing, and by making mealtime a happy, relaxed experience. Arguments and problems should be avoided during this time.

Wow. This is a very nice article for discussion. Hunger is a fixed physiologic response without stimulus from external factors. Appetite is indeed governed by a lot of external stimulus. Stress and emotional disturbances can increase the appetite leading to "emotional eating". Going to buffets will create a voracious appetite with the primal instinct of showing off to your lunch/dinner mates that you can tolerate a huge meal better than they do. One tip for curbing appetite though is t...

Feeling hungry after a filling meal is something that happens to me very often. At times when I go to a restaurant or party and eat a lot, I always say to myself "Oh god, i'm not going to able to eat for another day" but then again, when a new dish is served to the table, there's magically room in my stomach for more food. Appetite, or as you describes the desire or craving for food is the reason for this. Even though the body tells you that you can't, and don't want ...